"Low-fat milk has been shown to be as effective, if not more effective, than commercially available sports drinks as a rehydration beverage".

Low-fat milk "is a safe and effective post exercise beverage for most individuals, except for those who are lactose intolerant."

So how does milk help you gain muscle mass and recover from exercise?

It contains carbohydrates (lactose) in amounts similar to many commercially available sports drinks (glucose, maltodextrin).

"Milk contains casein and whey proteins in a ratio of 3:1 which provides for slower digestion andabsorption of these proteins resulting in sustained elevations of blood amino acid concentrations."

The whey protein in milk also contains a large proportion of branched chain amino acids which have an integral role in muscle metabolism and protein synthesis.

Finally, "milk also has naturally high concentrations of electrolytes, which are lost through sweating during exercise".

While the author admits that "More research is need to better understand how milk promotes recovery after exercise and to better understand the physiological mechanisms through which it acts", I think that drinking low-fat milk after a workout (but not before a practice or game!) might provide a more natural alternative to some of the commercial recovery drinks. And don'tforget that the calcium and vitamin D found in milk is especially important for adolescent female athletes.

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About the Author

The author is a Basketball Medicine Physician who is
Board Certified in both Pediatrics and in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.He is a Member of the Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Member, Sports Medicine Special Interest Group, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and
Member, American College of Sports Medicine.
He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA where he enjoys watching, playing, and thinking about basketball.
He created this blog to improve the health, fitness and performance of young athletes so that they can keep playing, and learning from, the game of basketball.

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